"The first couple of days, I've learned a lot from him," Milicic said. "It's a really good experience. I feel much more comfortable right now. They're going to make the decision where I'm going to play, but what I like to play more is the 'four' position."

This is where DMC could have a major impact right away, IMO
He's just too big and strong for most PF's... not that he won't be effective at the 5 (our biggest need right now)
There seems to be a slight imbalance in our roster.
I think he can set up outside and still end up around the rim as most big men will have difficulty matching his quickness going to the hole...
he needs to start by knocking down a few mid range shots to gain their respect or they'll sag and make his versatility less effective.

I agree that Oakland Press & Mlive have bypassed the Freep & News and the prefered source of Piston info... at least they're more intuned to what's happening.
That said I have to give McCoskey props for his piece on Darko... one of his better articles in ...say two years.

Are you getting the feeling that the Oakland Press sees the lousy coverage of the Detroit papers and is trying to provide more coverage? Or am I reading too much into this?

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They are going to be the fan's favorite as far as news goes. I am glad they are there. Detroit news is just now reporting what was already posted by MLIVE. It's pretty sad to have such a big paper get beat out by a small one. Actually they are beating out News and The Free Press.
My new names for them are the Detorit Snooze and the Detroit Weak Press.

Chris McCosky of The Detroit News Reports: The Pistons started camp with four point guards -- Chauncey Billups, Lindsey Hunter, Carlos Arroyo and rookie Alex Acker. So who was that tall guy running the point in the scrimmages on Sunday? None other than small forward Tayshaun Prince, who was pressed into duty with Hunter out (ankle surgery) and Billups on the sideline after straining his back late in practice. "It was good to be able to give him some work there," coach Flip Saunders said. "He can probably play all five positions if he had to."

A. Sherrod Blakely of Booth Newspapers Reports: After a recent practice, Antonio McDyess sat in the trainer's room, his left knee heavily bandaged with a couple of huge, leaky bags of ice. A similar scene a year ago in training camp would have been reason to be concerned. But those moments of trepidation aren't a problem now that the left knee injuries that sidelined the former All-Star forward for nearly three seasons no longer appear to be an issue. And because of that, McDyess began training camp last week with a level of confidence in his left knee that he hasn't had in years.

Krista Latham of The Detroit Free Press Reports: One week of training camp down, eight preseason games, 82 regular-season games, and 20-some playoff games -- if you count a championship run -- to go. And it was a relatively quiet first week of practice for the Pistons, with no major position battles, no all-star additions and no championship swagger. Still, those hard, physical two-a-days did answer some questions and raise some new ones about the Flip Saunders era. How's the new-look offense coming? Thanks to the players' high basketball IQ, Saunders said he has already put in about five sets from his playbook, with many more coming.

Joanne C. Gerstner of The Detroit News Reports: Pistons swingman Carlos Delfino learned many things during his rookie season in the NBA. He learned that the most important lessons involve fear, pain and confusion, but also that those things can lead to hope and confidence. Two right knee surgeries, two rehabilitations and more than a few setbacks have made Delfino stronger, physically and mentally. But it took the rehab task of pedaling hundreds of miles on his bike this summer to help him sort the lessons out. It was just Delfino, on his bike, alone with his thoughts.

Chris McCosky of The Detroit News Reports: No more fake injury reports. No more made up maladies. Doctors are off the hook. General managers are off the hook. The NBA, in its new collective bargaining agreement, has mercifully done away with the old injured list. In its place is an inactive list, similar to what the NHL has. "The new CBA has cleaned things up for us so much," said John Hammond, Pistons vice president of basketball. "Especially from an organizational standpoint. Under the old rules, if you put a player on the injured list, he had to stay there for a minimum of five games. He may not have needed to be on that long. Now, if a guy needs to only miss a game, that's all he has to miss." Here's how the inactive list will work. Teams can carry as many as 15 players on their roster, with a maximum of 12 and a minimum of eight being active. A team can carry 11 active players no longer than two consecutive weeks.

Chris McCosky of The Detroit News Reports: The Pistons started camp with four point guards -- Chauncey Billups, Lindsey Hunter, Carlos Arroyo and rookie Alex Acker. So who was that tall guy running the point in the scrimmages on Sunday? None other than small forward Tayshaun Prince, who was pressed into duty with Hunter out (ankle surgery) and Billups on the sideline after straining his back late in practice. "It was good to be able to give him some work there," coach Flip Saunders said. "He can probably play all five positions if he had to."

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Tay is so versatile. I hope this isn't representative of a lack of confidence in Arroyo though. Although this could just be an attempt by Flip to experiment with a bigger lineup. I guess we can never have to many looks on offense so there isn't much to worry about.

themicrowave said:

A. Sherrod Blakely of Booth Newspapers Reports: After a recent practice, Antonio McDyess sat in the trainer's room, his left knee heavily bandaged with a couple of huge, leaky bags of ice. A similar scene a year ago in training camp would have been reason to be concerned. But those moments of trepidation aren't a problem now that the left knee injuries that sidelined the former All-Star forward for nearly three seasons no longer appear to be an issue. And because of that, McDyess began training camp last week with a level of confidence in his left knee that he hasn't had in years.

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6th man of the year?

themicrowave said:

Krista Latham of The Detroit Free Press Reports: One week of training camp down, eight preseason games, 82 regular-season games, and 20-some playoff games -- if you count a championship run -- to go. And it was a relatively quiet first week of practice for the Pistons, with no major position battles, no all-star additions and no championship swagger. Still, those hard, physical two-a-days did answer some questions and raise some new ones about the Flip Saunders era. How's the new-look offense coming? Thanks to the players' high basketball IQ, Saunders said he has already put in about five sets from his playbook, with many more coming.

Click to expand...

This is really exciting. I am very impressed with the amount of leadership Chauncey is showing (helps to know the system I guess). Interesting to hear that Rip will be less of a focal point of the offense. Based on initial impressions of preseason camp I don't know if Rip will be the triple double threat we were expecting. I look for his numbers to actually decline but for his field goal pct. to take a jump for the better. I can't wait to see this new offense in action.

themicrowave said:

Joanne C. Gerstner of The Detroit News Reports: Pistons swingman Carlos Delfino learned many things during his rookie season in the NBA. He learned that the most important lessons involve fear, pain and confusion, but also that those things can lead to hope and confidence. Two right knee surgeries, two rehabilitations and more than a few setbacks have made Delfino stronger, physically and mentally. But it took the rehab task of pedaling hundreds of miles on his bike this summer to help him sort the lessons out. It was just Delfino, on his bike, alone with his thoughts.

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Basketbills, sounds like your boy is ready to do some damage this year. Of all the question mark players on the roster, he is most likely in my opinion to have the break out season.

themicrowave said:

Chris McCosky of The Detroit News Reports:No more fake injury reports. No more made up maladies. Doctors are off the hook. General managers are off the hook. The NBA, in its new collective bargaining agreement, has mercifully done away with the old injured list. In its place is an inactive list, similar to what the NHL has. "The new CBA has cleaned things up for us so much," said John Hammond, Pistons vice president of basketball. "Especially from an organizational standpoint. Under the old rules, if you put a player on the injured list, he had to stay there for a minimum of five games. He may not have needed to be on that long. Now, if a guy needs to only miss a game, that's all he has to miss." Here's how the inactive list will work. Teams can carry as many as 15 players on their roster, with a maximum of 12 and a minimum of eight being active. A team can carry 11 active players no longer than two consecutive weeks.

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This sounds pretty cool. I like the whole idea of being able to change your active roster before games. Of all the rules that the NBA has introduced the past couple of years, this is perhaps the most meaningful and advantageous one to the league. For teams with alot of depth, I can really see this adding to team strategy.

"Camp competition: Darko Milicic and Dale Davis are battling to be the team's No. 4 interior player. Milicic seems to have the upper hand for now. He hasn't been spectacular, but he has been solid." - A. Sherrod Blakely

This is great news!

"Eye-opener: Amir Johnson put the basketball between his legs -- while in mid-air, mind you -- and dunked it with relative ease." - A. Sherrod Blakely

WOW! Is this boy a baller or what? This couldn't have been in a game. right?????

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You know stuff like that could help teams win big games especially at home. you don't want to be a team on the road with kids flying over you and doing acrobatic dunks to get the crowd crazy especially at the palace. Crowd plays a huge part in games. This guy could become a fan Favorite soon.

Tay is so versatile. I hope this isn't representative of a lack of confidence in Arroyo though. Although this could just be an attempt by Flip to experiment with a bigger lineup. I guess we can never have to many looks on offense so there isn't much to worry about.

6th man of the year?

This is really exciting. I am very impressed with the amount of leadership Chauncey is showing (helps to know the system I guess). Interesting to hear that Rip will be less of a focal point of the offense. Based on initial impressions of preseason camp I don't know if Rip will be the triple double threat we were expecting. I look for his numbers to actually decline but for his field goal pct. to take a jump for the better. I can't wait to see this new offense in action.

Basketbills, sounds like your boy is ready to do some damage this year. Of all the question mark players on the roster, he is most likely in my opinion to have the break out season.

This sounds pretty cool. I like the whole idea of being able to change your active roster before games. Of all the rules that the NBA has introduced the past couple of years, this is perhaps the most meaningful and advantageous one to the league. For teams with alot of depth, I can really see this adding to team strategy.

Click to expand...

rip will be perfectly fine, and we have to understand that rip will only pull of td's in meaningless games. Sorry, but with Ben hauling down rebounds along with Sheed, and Dice... it probably won't happen, it's still great that he is good enough to pull it off though.

MITCH ALBOM: Trying to decipher the NBA dress code
A thief can wear a suit, a gangster can wear a tie, and a sleazy politician can wear fancy shoes. So a dress code -- as NBA commissioner David Stern is pondering -- will not turn players into model citizens.

Milicic finally shows talent expected of a No. 2 overall pick
Darko Milicic has looked good banging with the likes of Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace in practice this past week. But that's not what makes Milicic a better player this season.